Patent Push Causes Debate on Legal Authority

The Obama administration announced a plan on Tuesday to lift the veil on patent ownership. As part of the plan, the president said the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is drafting a rule that would require patent applicants to disclose who actually owns them. While proponents defend the action as falling within the scope of the executive rule-making authority, critics of the proposal have suggested the new disclosure rule may be an overreach. The Legal Blog of the Wall Street Journal has the story.